Page 11 - Revista_2020_ElPericano

A LIFE AWAY FROM

HOME...AT HOME

Ojas Chaudhari bilingüismo

People talk a lot about missing their home whe- the seaside food - a delicious blend of langostinos,
never they go elsewhere. They say they miss their pescaditos fritos, almejas, and cazones, to name
people, their food, their culture, their country. but a few. The richness of the seafood here is so le-
However, at the same time, they also discover a gendary that it made me give up on vegetarianism
new place, new people, a new culture, and per- after more than eight years!
haps a new home. That’s exactly what happened to As you can see by now, I felt as if Sanlúcar had
me when I moved to Spain from my original home, everything that would make me feel at home. I
India. was learning something new about Spanish cultu-
I am Ojas Chaudhari, a 23 year old Language Tea- re every single moment. I was relishing the beau-
ching Assistant from Mumbai, India. I am currently tiful Andaluz landscape and the sea everyday. I was
teaching English at IES Juan Sebastian Elcano, San- trying a new traditional Spanish dish every week.
lúcar de Barrameda, until the end of May 2020. You I was attending a fiesta or two every month. But
might wonder what a young Indian is doing in an the beating heart of any home is the people that
Andalusian town. Well, let me tell you more about inhabit it. And I was very fortunate to have come
it! Being an aficionado of languages since an early across such welcoming people when I moved here.
age, I graduated with a degree in French Literature All my colleagues have been very kind to me sin-
in 2018, after which, I went to France to work as ce we met. They have always made me feel like
an English language assistant in a high school in the a cherished member of the vast Elcano family. I
north of the country. My main aim at the time was shall never forget our coffee breaks at the nearby
to improve my knowledge of the French language cafe, which had almost become a daily routine for
as well as culture. I had such a positive experience me. As for my students, I had a great time teaching
there that I thought about doing the same thing in them, mainly because they were always very eager
Spain. Since I dream to be a multilingual translator to learn, and that’s something that I admire a lot
and interpreter, I had already started learning Spa- about them. Spending time with them was always
nish during my high school years. Hence, I thought a worthwhile experience, because it ended up tea-
that this would be a great opportunity to brush up ching me a lot too.
on my Spanish skills, and to experience Spanish cul- However, it is unfortunately true that every ex-
ture closely. When I was informed during the sum- perience in life isn’t always just positive or just ne-
mer of 2019 that I had been placed in this quaint gative; it is a little bit of both. My time in Spain was
seaside Andalusian town, I couldn’t hold back my passing so smoothly and happily that I would never
joy! That joy only doubled when I actually arrived even have dreamed that it would change so drasti-
here. cally. This sudden change was brought about by the
I distinctly remember my first few days in Sanlú- raging pandemic, COVID-19, or Coronavirus. It was
car. I couldn’t believe that I was finally here, about on the day of my birthday, March 10th - when I was
to start a new life in perhaps the most beautiful out celebrating a birthday lunch with some of my
region in all of Spain! I took my own time to ex- colleagues - that we first heard about schools in Ma-
plore the city before starting my work, but I just drid being ordered to shut down. Within five days,
couldn’t stop admiring its radiant beaches, its co- the entire country had entered an unprecedented
lourful buildings with distinctly beautiful Moorish lockdown. This pandemic deeply struck India and
features, its richly decorated churches, and above the rest of the world as well. No one had imagined
all, its liveliness. But most importantly, I would feel that they would have to remain confined in their
captivated by the beauty of the sea. Strangely, I houses for a long time, for fear of contracting a
have lived by the sea throughout the 23 years of my deadly virus.
life; first in Mumbai, then in France, and now here, The pandemic changed life completely for me.
in Spain. I couldn’t believe my luck on being placed I couldn’t go to work anymore. I was forced to for-
in a seaside city. And with the seaside views came get any more of those cheerful coffee breaks that

Revista del IES Juan Sebastián Elcano | 11